Finding Your Path & Protecting Your Time with Top NJ Realtor, Karen Gonen

Hello, Unbreakable Mompreneurs! 💪 If you’re feeling the tug to do something different—to scale smarter, serve deeper, and still be truly present for your family—this episode is for you. Today’s guest is Karen Gonen, a New Jersey real estate broker and #1 agent in Sussex County who has built a powerhouse business while fiercely honoring her first role: mom.

Karen’s story is a masterclass in resilience, boundaries, and heart-led leadership. Born and raised in Israel, she moved to the U.S. as a teen, adapted through 29 moves (!), and learned early that home is less a place and more something you carry inside. After two decades helping run a logistics company with her family, a hard reset pushed her to reinvent—ultimately finding her lane in real estate. Nine years in, Karen has stacked career milestones (including nearly $24M in volume in 2024) while staying deeply involved in her kids’ lives and local community. She serves, she mentors, and she wins—with integrity.

• Boundaries that buyers respect: How Karen uses Google Calendar to protect family time—without “oversharing” what’s on her schedule—and why confident options earn clients’ trust.

• Your ‘why’ as a filter: Why her kids come first—and how that clarity simplifies decisions, shields your sanity, and actually strengthens your brand.

• Invest to grow: Karen’s pay-to-play lead strategy from day one and how a smart spend can unlock compounding relationships for years.

• Community = pipeline: Volunteering and local service as a long-game lead engine—and the surprising reason she advertises outside her town to align with price points and goals.

• Serve your team, serve your clients: Why she shares office leads freely, mentors junior agents, and keeps an assistant focused on the highest-value admin and gifting.

• Education is a moat: From 64 CE credits in a single cycle to books stacked high and early-morning reading, Karen shows how curiosity and craft mastery become your unfair advantage.

• Integrity over everything: Real talk on contracts, legalities, and doing what’s right—owning mistakes, insisting on complete paperwork, and protecting clients.

• Adaptability as a superpower: Moving created fearlessness, grit, and the ability to connect anywhere.

If you’ve ever looked at your calendar and felt swallowed, Karen’s framework will set you free:

1. Block life first. Family on the calendar before business.

2. Lead with options, not apologies. Clients respect clarity.

3. Build a support ecosystem. Assistant, partner, office teammates, referral networks.

4. Play the long game. Invest in relationships, education, and reputation—ROI that outlives any single deal.

5. Measure what matters. Referrals, repeat clients, community trust, and your peace at home.

Karen also shares a beautiful encouragement for new moms: don’t blink. Time is a vapor. Hold that baby. Be where your feet are. Careers can be reimagined; moments with our kids cannot be replayed.

• Instagram / Facebook: Karen Gonen Real Estate New Jersey

• Call/Text: 551-262-4062

• Referral communities: Referral Roundtable (founder) and BW NICE Sussex Chapter (President)

I’m Charisse Walker, your host—mompreneur, real estate pro (Chalker Properties Group, eXp Realty), and author of Flipping the Iceberg. My mission is to help women build unshakable businesses without sacrificing what matters most. Each week, we bring you practical strategies, honest conversations, and faith-fueled encouragement to help you show up with clarity, courage, and joy.

• Learn more: unbreakablemompreneurs.com

• Instagram: @charissewalker1

If today’s episode reminded you to choose presence over pressure, share it with a friend who needs that same nudge. And remember: you’re allowed to build big dreams and be all-in at home. The secret is clarity, boundaries, and a tribe that has your back. 🩵

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